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Celestine Chronicles #1
Mask of the Template
Not all heroes go to heaven.
Terrence Mack was born poor, grew up tough, and died hard. Waking up in a sea cave with nothing but the clothes on his back and a new bullet scar was enough to convince him that wherever his death had brought him, it wasn't paradise.
His new world quickly proves itself to be a place of danger, magic, monsters, and - for Terry at least - women.
Known on Celestine as a template, Terry's genes are key to the survival of the eldritch races. But the fiercely competitive eldritch don't typically leave their lovers alive long, and aren't accustomed to taking 'no' for an answer.
The average life expectancy of a template on Celestine? Three days.
A city boy with no survival skills to speak of, Terry sets out in a desperate bid to gather allies. With the help of a lonely dryad, a mixed-up minotress, and a misguided party of dungeon delvers, he must be brave, cunning, and good with the ladies to have any hope of living through the month.
All the while an ancient evil bent on the destruction of Celestine exists in the north, and templates are the key to its southern expansion ...
Warning: This book does not pan to waving curtains and fade to black. Those uninterested or under the age of eighteen are strongly warned of explicit content.
363 pages, ebook
First published June 20, 2018
867 people are currently reading
1286 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews
October 11, 2024
Have you ever cogitated a cornucopia of perverse delights comprised of the fruits of sexual congress with anthropomorphic mammals, insects, amphibians, cephalopods, and mythical beasts? Then I’ve got just the book for you. Are you someone who wishes there was a perfect amalgamation of Chad&Simp that would go around getting some stanky on the hang down from these exotic creatures, all the while gaining unique punani powers from each conquest, and, reciprocating with his celestial semen, conferring fantastic abilities to his growing harem via rampant creampieification? Well, that’s oddly specific, but you’ve nailed it. This dude is shooting magic ropes, sister. If you’re still unsure if this is your thing, I’ve provided a handy questionnaire. If you answer yes to any of these, then I recommend you check it out. For in the famous words of a friend, who having been strapped to a chair with his eyelids peeled back, and exposed to a remarkable number of gravure idols by she who shan’t be enunciated, remarked: “A man can only get so hard.”*
Have you ever fantasized about delivering a perfect spinning back kick to a tiger-man’s solar plexus with such staggering force that his whiskers exclaim like the barbs of a porcupine and he pisses out of his mouth like a Pacific Geoduck discharging secretional water from its gonad after days of militant edging?
Have you ever imagined how fun it would be to do a keg stand while imbibing dangerous quantities of whey from the painfully engorged melons of a Minotress, while she lows in pleasure and begs for your continued suckling?
Have you ever wanted to fuck a tree?
Have you ever wanted to give a tree a mustache ride while she makes out with a Minotress that’s currently masticating your junk with relentless bovine-kegels, and miraculously, not converting your skeletal assets into calcium enriched oatmeal while gyrating her massive hips on top of your meager humanoid apparatus?
Have you ever longed to be whisked away to a world where a smoking hot version of Ursula, of Little Mermaid fame, will bangulate you to within an inch of shuffling off your mortal scrotum, while engraving painful octo-hickeys into your back?
Have you ever wanted to have a Bowflex-commercial-body, the conditioned reflexes and killer technique of a champion MMA fighter, a heroic spirit, and the ability to direct a nature documentary using only your pecker and your fists?
Have you ever fantasied about taking a canine-lady to the pound (town) in a shoe store and being awarded with the best pair of boots you’ve ever had?
Do you like milk?
Have you read and enjoyed the Monster Musume Manga but wished the protagonist had the sexual prowess of Manuel Ferrara and the willingness to deploy it at the slightest penile provocation?
Are you looking for some smutty harem fantasy that’s competently written, has few typos, contains a good mix of flying arm bars and vaginal friction, and succeeds in creating an interesting world?
*I later learned this was merely a riff on a quote from Dr. Algernop Krieger:
“But, if you don't wanna see two robots smashing each other with cop cars and shit, as they fight to the death through the streets of Manhattan--
“Bup bup bup bup bup – Stop. My penis can only get so erect!”
Have you ever fantasized about delivering a perfect spinning back kick to a tiger-man’s solar plexus with such staggering force that his whiskers exclaim like the barbs of a porcupine and he pisses out of his mouth like a Pacific Geoduck discharging secretional water from its gonad after days of militant edging?
Have you ever imagined how fun it would be to do a keg stand while imbibing dangerous quantities of whey from the painfully engorged melons of a Minotress, while she lows in pleasure and begs for your continued suckling?
Have you ever wanted to fuck a tree?
Have you ever wanted to give a tree a mustache ride while she makes out with a Minotress that’s currently masticating your junk with relentless bovine-kegels, and miraculously, not converting your skeletal assets into calcium enriched oatmeal while gyrating her massive hips on top of your meager humanoid apparatus?
Have you ever longed to be whisked away to a world where a smoking hot version of Ursula, of Little Mermaid fame, will bangulate you to within an inch of shuffling off your mortal scrotum, while engraving painful octo-hickeys into your back?
Have you ever wanted to have a Bowflex-commercial-body, the conditioned reflexes and killer technique of a champion MMA fighter, a heroic spirit, and the ability to direct a nature documentary using only your pecker and your fists?
Have you ever fantasied about taking a canine-lady to the pound (town) in a shoe store and being awarded with the best pair of boots you’ve ever had?
Do you like milk?
Have you read and enjoyed the Monster Musume Manga but wished the protagonist had the sexual prowess of Manuel Ferrara and the willingness to deploy it at the slightest penile provocation?
Are you looking for some smutty harem fantasy that’s competently written, has few typos, contains a good mix of flying arm bars and vaginal friction, and succeeds in creating an interesting world?
*I later learned this was merely a riff on a quote from Dr. Algernop Krieger:
“But, if you don't wanna see two robots smashing each other with cop cars and shit, as they fight to the death through the streets of Manhattan--
“Bup bup bup bup bup – Stop. My penis can only get so erect!”
February 18, 2019
Not the most pornographic monster girl harem fantasy, but one of the best
It used to be that if you wanted sexy scenes of erotic seduction and pulse pounding pleasure you had to seek out a steamy romance novel. All well and good unless your tastes run toward monster girls, not hunky Scottish billionaires.
Now we are in a golden age, where geeks, gamers, and lusty monster tamers can get their kink on with out having to imagine Mr. Grey as an Orc.
Mask of the Template is one of the high water marks of a new genre that has everything I love in the world except beer and motorcycles.
Surprisingly well balanced and crafted, this Fantasy themed erotica for a primarily male audience is a full throttle thrill ride that just can't keep it's pants on. HUZZAH!
It used to be that if you wanted sexy scenes of erotic seduction and pulse pounding pleasure you had to seek out a steamy romance novel. All well and good unless your tastes run toward monster girls, not hunky Scottish billionaires.
Now we are in a golden age, where geeks, gamers, and lusty monster tamers can get their kink on with out having to imagine Mr. Grey as an Orc.
Mask of the Template is one of the high water marks of a new genre that has everything I love in the world except beer and motorcycles.
Surprisingly well balanced and crafted, this Fantasy themed erotica for a primarily male audience is a full throttle thrill ride that just can't keep it's pants on. HUZZAH!
March 11, 2019
Rating 4.0 stars
This book is just like every other trapped in another world, build a harem book but at the same time it is different. The main Character Terry is a mixed martial arts fighter who had to fight 5 days in a row in order to get his sister out of a jam with the mob. When he is finished with the fight and he confronts the Mob boss he ends up in another fight and gets killed. He wakes up in another world called Celestine and doesn't know what's going on. He finds all sorts of creatures on this world, some of them are humanoid but none of them are human. From the beginning the creatures start to chase him but he doesn't know why. Everywhere he goes people say they don't want to hurt him but they all seem like they want to capture him. He ends up finding out what is going on after he meets a Dryad. He fell asleep under her tree and when he woke up he was being held by a woman (the dryad). The dryad is the tree. He finds out that he is a Template. Every year a hero from our world that dies is sent to this world. Templates are able to give people they have sex with great power and for some of the older races on this world, having sex with a template is the only way to have children. That is why is s so sought after. He is also told that templates don't live very long on this world since once a powerful being gets what they want from him, they usually kill the template to prevent their enemies from getting stronger. This is a different take on the genre. The female creatures that want to sleep with him are only in it for the power, but our main character Terry, is not that kind of guy. The dryad tell him right away not to fall in love with anyone, because everyone has a motive, even her. This also ads more complexity to the story because Terry has to navigate this world he knows nothing about all the while trying to figure out which people want to kill him or screw him, or both. He also has to try and figure out which people he can trust if any.
I wasn't too sure about this book for the first half, but when Terry ends up in a dungeon dive with a group of allies and there ends up being a monster from Greek mythology, I instantly became more interested. That component gave me a completely different view of the story and also made me question my view of Greek mythology (before it was always told from the hero point of view, but now we get the monster perspective and it is very enlightening). The were a lot of pop culture references and very funny banter between the characters. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one.
This book is just like every other trapped in another world, build a harem book but at the same time it is different. The main Character Terry is a mixed martial arts fighter who had to fight 5 days in a row in order to get his sister out of a jam with the mob. When he is finished with the fight and he confronts the Mob boss he ends up in another fight and gets killed. He wakes up in another world called Celestine and doesn't know what's going on. He finds all sorts of creatures on this world, some of them are humanoid but none of them are human. From the beginning the creatures start to chase him but he doesn't know why. Everywhere he goes people say they don't want to hurt him but they all seem like they want to capture him. He ends up finding out what is going on after he meets a Dryad. He fell asleep under her tree and when he woke up he was being held by a woman (the dryad). The dryad is the tree. He finds out that he is a Template. Every year a hero from our world that dies is sent to this world. Templates are able to give people they have sex with great power and for some of the older races on this world, having sex with a template is the only way to have children. That is why is s so sought after. He is also told that templates don't live very long on this world since once a powerful being gets what they want from him, they usually kill the template to prevent their enemies from getting stronger. This is a different take on the genre. The female creatures that want to sleep with him are only in it for the power, but our main character Terry, is not that kind of guy. The dryad tell him right away not to fall in love with anyone, because everyone has a motive, even her. This also ads more complexity to the story because Terry has to navigate this world he knows nothing about all the while trying to figure out which people want to kill him or screw him, or both. He also has to try and figure out which people he can trust if any.
I wasn't too sure about this book for the first half, but when Terry ends up in a dungeon dive with a group of allies and there ends up being a monster from Greek mythology, I instantly became more interested. That component gave me a completely different view of the story and also made me question my view of Greek mythology (before it was always told from the hero point of view, but now we get the monster perspective and it is very enlightening). The were a lot of pop culture references and very funny banter between the characters. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one.
April 15, 2025
Competently written erotica is so rare...
This was great! Cebelius is a talented writer - I know this because last year I devoured his "Would You Love A Monster Girl" series in a week. I don't normally go for harem, but decided to give this series a go since I have faith in Cebelius' ability to tell a good story and I was far from disappointed.
This was great! Cebelius is a talented writer - I know this because last year I devoured his "Would You Love A Monster Girl" series in a week. I don't normally go for harem, but decided to give this series a go since I have faith in Cebelius' ability to tell a good story and I was far from disappointed.
June 27, 2018
It was like the Chronicles of Eden with a mc with a more doable goal and more combative disposition!
June 29, 2018
Wow
This was a great find. Especially loved a lot of the subtly and care the author took in making every page and paragraph and sentence count.
This was a great find. Especially loved a lot of the subtly and care the author took in making every page and paragraph and sentence count.
January 26, 2019
Adult adventure story, humor and more!
Adult adventure story, humor and more! ... not for the young, not for your older parents, but really representative of a realistic fantasy adventure by an adult protagonist in a well described and realistically rounded world setting. I enjoy a bit of humor, and when the story or characters in it, can laugh a bit at themselves with me a reader, that's positive and I think takes real skill in the author. Yes, there is sexual events but also real and well described anxiety, pain, gore, fight aftermath (the first real believable description that I've ever recall reading of post-battle dungeon-crawl cleanup), and much much more. I started off surprized, at points embarrased of content or of being misunderstood if a stranger saw the text of some sections, but impressed and ended thinking it was an excellent narrative with characters who seemed more real than many in fiction, who I could see grow within the story, and who a reader could care about.
I'm an advid scifi and fantasy reader, even dabbled writing some (many started, never yet finished one though), and wandered into both this story and author by chance and without knowing what "harem lit" was really. At first, yes, a bit shocked and embarrassed at the intimate parts of the story - yet I both realized that I've read past similar intimate narratives in Conan stories, James Bond, and more, and that considering the setting these events made sense and were as detailed as other parts of the story (not the focus of the author, with the non intimate times tossed in around those interludes). Life is survive, grow, and reproduce... and all these aspects are included equally by this author. The sex or lo emaking wasn't there just for it's own sake or to sell books (or there would have been a lot more all over the story), but descrete plot-related and part of the overall story rolling out for me as a reader.
I expect i may need come back to edit and maybe add to this review, as I've only just finished this first book and I can tell I need some of it to sink in. However, i was impressed enough that I both wanted to and felt important to leave a positive review, and hopefully alay concerns of readers who might miss this story because they only assumed something based on "hamem lit" and possibilities of sexual descriptions. There's more in the story than just that.
At a minimum, there's the well rounded and crafted description of a rough side of town type man who can care, worry over his own actions, and breaks that scifi or fantasy mold of hero who makes no mistakes and never second guesses anything plus unbelievably easy in the world. This protagonist does get lucky, but also makes mistakes, is not a flat character, and more. I also find members of his "harem" more three dimensional full characters, not normal fantasy sword-and-sorcery prize women conquests, but thinking empowered women who balance the male protagonist. I am eager to read and experience more of the story, and I see there are 2 more books I will for sure be getting. Hopefully even more in the works.
Adult adventure story, humor and more! ... not for the young, not for your older parents, but really representative of a realistic fantasy adventure by an adult protagonist in a well described and realistically rounded world setting. I enjoy a bit of humor, and when the story or characters in it, can laugh a bit at themselves with me a reader, that's positive and I think takes real skill in the author. Yes, there is sexual events but also real and well described anxiety, pain, gore, fight aftermath (the first real believable description that I've ever recall reading of post-battle dungeon-crawl cleanup), and much much more. I started off surprized, at points embarrased of content or of being misunderstood if a stranger saw the text of some sections, but impressed and ended thinking it was an excellent narrative with characters who seemed more real than many in fiction, who I could see grow within the story, and who a reader could care about.
I'm an advid scifi and fantasy reader, even dabbled writing some (many started, never yet finished one though), and wandered into both this story and author by chance and without knowing what "harem lit" was really. At first, yes, a bit shocked and embarrassed at the intimate parts of the story - yet I both realized that I've read past similar intimate narratives in Conan stories, James Bond, and more, and that considering the setting these events made sense and were as detailed as other parts of the story (not the focus of the author, with the non intimate times tossed in around those interludes). Life is survive, grow, and reproduce... and all these aspects are included equally by this author. The sex or lo emaking wasn't there just for it's own sake or to sell books (or there would have been a lot more all over the story), but descrete plot-related and part of the overall story rolling out for me as a reader.
I expect i may need come back to edit and maybe add to this review, as I've only just finished this first book and I can tell I need some of it to sink in. However, i was impressed enough that I both wanted to and felt important to leave a positive review, and hopefully alay concerns of readers who might miss this story because they only assumed something based on "hamem lit" and possibilities of sexual descriptions. There's more in the story than just that.
At a minimum, there's the well rounded and crafted description of a rough side of town type man who can care, worry over his own actions, and breaks that scifi or fantasy mold of hero who makes no mistakes and never second guesses anything plus unbelievably easy in the world. This protagonist does get lucky, but also makes mistakes, is not a flat character, and more. I also find members of his "harem" more three dimensional full characters, not normal fantasy sword-and-sorcery prize women conquests, but thinking empowered women who balance the male protagonist. I am eager to read and experience more of the story, and I see there are 2 more books I will for sure be getting. Hopefully even more in the works.
June 30, 2018
Wonderful work!
I couldnt put this one down! The MC is a strong heroic character i could get behind, as were the rest characters.
I couldnt put this one down! The MC is a strong heroic character i could get behind, as were the rest characters.
July 30, 2018
Good Read.
A harem story with the main character being transported to a world of humanoid creatures in all shapes and forms. Humans are unique and wanted by the women for the power he could give them. (This story has adult situations for the adult reader.) I like the story and look forward to the next book.
A harem story with the main character being transported to a world of humanoid creatures in all shapes and forms. Humans are unique and wanted by the women for the power he could give them. (This story has adult situations for the adult reader.) I like the story and look forward to the next book.
August 24, 2022
Oh this was good! I purchased this months ago on audible and I never got through it. It was my first MonsterGirl harem story. I’m so glad I started it again!! Terry’s character is noble, and he has some of the sexiest, steamiest women to assist him in his quest! Lots of juicy yummy sex with some hot breeding! “Boss” is spewing loads into his harem! This book was fun!
June 30, 2018
Awesome 5 stars
I loved this book from start to finish the author did a great job with the characters and the story
I loved this book from start to finish the author did a great job with the characters and the story
June 29, 2018
Great book!
This was a great book, with an interesting world, and characters, and I can't wait for the next one in the series.
This was a great book, with an interesting world, and characters, and I can't wait for the next one in the series.
February 12, 2019
It is okay. The beginning started out strong, like a classic heroic beginning. Your protagonist was trying to save his sister and he's not some pathetic weak wimp trying to do so. He's strong and manages it, sort of. He has a pretty good character and sense of justice. Everything is pretty standard and good for a heroic story.
Then comes the fall. He gets betrayed by his sister and that pushes the start of the real story. The only thing that bugged me is that he's a strong fighter with great instincts, yet a mob boss, who probably never exercises in his life other than banging girls, is able to drag a body to block/dodge against a gun while our protagonist isn't able to do so. He isn't able to dodge and roll away. He isn't able to do a switcheroo with the mobster he just attacked. He did nothing but stand there and took the bullets.
This seems to be a trending problem with these gamelit/litrpg stories. The authors don't bother with creating a good beginning or background story. For this book, you can totally have the same result but with a longer fight scene.
So the scene went something like the following:
For these kind of harem litrpg books, it's not bad.
Then comes the fall. He gets betrayed by his sister and that pushes the start of the real story. The only thing that bugged me is that he's a strong fighter with great instincts, yet a mob boss, who probably never exercises in his life other than banging girls, is able to drag a body to block/dodge against a gun while our protagonist isn't able to do so. He isn't able to dodge and roll away. He isn't able to do a switcheroo with the mobster he just attacked. He did nothing but stand there and took the bullets.
This seems to be a trending problem with these gamelit/litrpg stories. The authors don't bother with creating a good beginning or background story. For this book, you can totally have the same result but with a longer fight scene.
So the scene went something like the following:
For these kind of harem litrpg books, it's not bad.
July 27, 2019
At first glance this looks like a story that's just a lot of sex glued together with a questionable premise, but underneath is a decent fantasy with actual character and emotion. By the end I was engrossed and immediately picked up and started the next book.
What I liked most about this series is actually how the world is effecting Terry. He gets dysphoria being surrounded by such alien people, being the only human around, and how being the special magic guy makes his life hell. So far in the series he's having a hard time coping, and that's cool. Although I do find it a bit silly that Terry is getting increasingly dangerous situations without simply asking his allies what their capabilities are, what their powers are, and works to understand his own abilities. He doesn't try to assess what is at his hand, he just seems to wing it. Which for an otherwise thoughtful guy that tries to plan doesn't seem to fit.
The book does have its flaws. Some of that is more a presence of some kinks that aren't mine (cough Lana Lana Lana cough), but the other downside is that the book feels sort of disjointed. The first third is Terry simply being introduced to Celestine and a travel montage, the second a city adventure where the actual plot of the series starts to sink in, and the latter is a dungeon crawl. This feels a little jarring and without focus. It makes sense, story wise, why these events occur, but it doesn't quite fit a solid experience. I was also disappointed to discover in a world full of monster-girls et al, that we still end up with goblins, orcs, elves and dwarves--only goblins are ever on screen, but the others are mentioned, and I was hoping we were getting away with the token Tolkein races in favor of the animal kingdom.
The sex is nice and hot and not overbearing.
This is the best harem book I've read thusfar. I recommend.
What I liked most about this series is actually how the world is effecting Terry. He gets dysphoria being surrounded by such alien people, being the only human around, and how being the special magic guy makes his life hell. So far in the series he's having a hard time coping, and that's cool. Although I do find it a bit silly that Terry is getting increasingly dangerous situations without simply asking his allies what their capabilities are, what their powers are, and works to understand his own abilities. He doesn't try to assess what is at his hand, he just seems to wing it. Which for an otherwise thoughtful guy that tries to plan doesn't seem to fit.
The book does have its flaws. Some of that is more a presence of some kinks that aren't mine (cough Lana Lana Lana cough), but the other downside is that the book feels sort of disjointed. The first third is Terry simply being introduced to Celestine and a travel montage, the second a city adventure where the actual plot of the series starts to sink in, and the latter is a dungeon crawl. This feels a little jarring and without focus. It makes sense, story wise, why these events occur, but it doesn't quite fit a solid experience. I was also disappointed to discover in a world full of monster-girls et al, that we still end up with goblins, orcs, elves and dwarves--only goblins are ever on screen, but the others are mentioned, and I was hoping we were getting away with the token Tolkein races in favor of the animal kingdom.
The sex is nice and hot and not overbearing.
This is the best harem book I've read thusfar. I recommend.
November 1, 2018
Why didn't I read this earlier?
Gosh, this was a way too much fun read.
Loved every single page, word, sentence, humor and awesomeness of MC.
Some awesome tidbits for you, Spoilers Ahead:
"Not to mention the truism that all women are crazy. It isn't about finding the exception. It's about finding a woman with the kind of crazy you can live with. I think Shy fits."
He lifted an eybrow, gazing up at her wit the question plain on his face. " Fuck for great Justice".
I could whore myself out in the city until I had whatever it was I needed.... That's me. Terry Mack, laying his way to world domination. So stupid.
Terry: "Now you're just fucking with me."
Euryale: "Now, later ... whenever you like."
T: "Not what I meant."
E: "The offer stands."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2019
Trapt in another world + Harem + Monsters = 4 stars
Terry a MMA Fighter gets killed by a mob boss trying to protect his little sister. Rather than dying he wakes up in another world where he no is a 'Template'. A member of the highly coveted progenitor race from which all other races are descendant. Now every woman, from Minotress and Dryads to Eldritch monsters wants to mate with him for power and offspring. Doesn't sound so bad does it?
Problem is that the average life-expectancy of a template is 3 days....
So yeah a Trapt in another world/ harem novel with a guy lead and a whole slew of beautiful woman who want him. The start is a bit slow, and the story somewhat predictable, but the pacing picks up halfway through and the story becomes more interesting. Terry is an OK lead and a bit more pro-active than most leads in similar novels.
in the end this was an entertaining novel, if not terrible original.
Terry a MMA Fighter gets killed by a mob boss trying to protect his little sister. Rather than dying he wakes up in another world where he no is a 'Template'. A member of the highly coveted progenitor race from which all other races are descendant. Now every woman, from Minotress and Dryads to Eldritch monsters wants to mate with him for power and offspring. Doesn't sound so bad does it?
Problem is that the average life-expectancy of a template is 3 days....
So yeah a Trapt in another world/ harem novel with a guy lead and a whole slew of beautiful woman who want him. The start is a bit slow, and the story somewhat predictable, but the pacing picks up halfway through and the story becomes more interesting. Terry is an OK lead and a bit more pro-active than most leads in similar novels.
in the end this was an entertaining novel, if not terrible original.
July 13, 2018
Good stories...
...don’t just happen they are well thought out and somewhat calculated. Even if an author goes by instinct a lot of the time, plot lines, conversations, and a host of details must be thought out so they are coherent.
The author is under a subtitle of books which for all intents and purposes are written for their action and sexual content. This dude wrote a heartfelt story with far more and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
...don’t just happen they are well thought out and somewhat calculated. Even if an author goes by instinct a lot of the time, plot lines, conversations, and a host of details must be thought out so they are coherent.
The author is under a subtitle of books which for all intents and purposes are written for their action and sexual content. This dude wrote a heartfelt story with far more and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
June 28, 2018
This was an enjoyable tale, which I think as the potential to become a great new series of books. The MC is a good combination of Kick-Ass Warrior and Snuggle Teddy-Bear. The writing is a little rough in places, but the storyline flows well regardless. Overall the author has established a good foundation for this world and I am looking forward to the next installment.
September 28, 2020
A good star of a series, good book, the story flows naturally and the characters are well done. Mc is its own kind of hero, really well grounded given the life he has and act in a really carefull and well planned way despite the situation he finds himself in. Enteretaining book I am excited about what else this series has to offer.
June 30, 2018
Great
Wonderful read if you enjoy a fantasy harem that’s not the usual norm for most books. Please note that the erotic scenes are also well done as well as the action scenes. I found myself shadow boxing along with the book. Definitely read
Wonderful read if you enjoy a fantasy harem that’s not the usual norm for most books. Please note that the erotic scenes are also well done as well as the action scenes. I found myself shadow boxing along with the book. Definitely read
June 23, 2018
Good isekai book. It had good sex scenes AND an interesting plot.
June 26, 2018
Damn that was fun
Very interesting story, had me finishing the book in one session. I very much look forward to future titles by this author.
Very interesting story, had me finishing the book in one session. I very much look forward to future titles by this author.
June 30, 2018
Good book
Can’t wait for book two too come out.I loved the way the author wrote the story too a tee.Bloody good book
Can’t wait for book two too come out.I loved the way the author wrote the story too a tee.Bloody good book
June 30, 2018
Great
Phonebook with adventure humor plenty of sex mythology take you to a different scene in culture pretty much.. waiting on the next book!
Phonebook with adventure humor plenty of sex mythology take you to a different scene in culture pretty much.. waiting on the next book!
June 28, 2018
Fun, imaginative and original.
Fun to read, interesting characters, dodgy graphics but with an original twist, and am looking forward to the next instalment.
Fun to read, interesting characters, dodgy graphics but with an original twist, and am looking forward to the next instalment.
April 7, 2019
Life after death indeed and it's terrifying and weird and sexy!
June 27, 2018
Great starter
It is a nice take on how/why MC ends up with all the girls. Sadly the book ended causing withdrawals. Next book needs to put out asap
It is a nice take on how/why MC ends up with all the girls. Sadly the book ended causing withdrawals. Next book needs to put out asap
June 27, 2018
This book was a lot of fun!!!
Sexy, exciting and filled with intrigue. Very impressive and well worth reading. Much more than just a harem book, can't wait for the sequel.
Sexy, exciting and filled with intrigue. Very impressive and well worth reading. Much more than just a harem book, can't wait for the sequel.
July 16, 2018
I think this is what happens when you buy a book based on the blurb without paying enough attention to the category (i.e. Monster Girl Harem Fantasy). So let me start out by saying, I enjoyed this book, but it took a little bit of time for me to come to that position. So here it is, the good and the bad:
Great first chapter: I liked Terry from moment one. He’s tough, has honor, and was instantly sympathetic. And I continued to like him after he died and showed up in the world of Celestine. His initial circumstance, being hunted on an unknown world, was interesting. Things didn’t start to fall apart until he met Shy, the dryad.
At this point, the book started to slow to a difficult crawl. The plot, as such, grinds almost to a halt, and we begin to worry a lot about Terry’s relationships in a manner that made me think we’d slipped into the romance genre. (Nothing against the romance genre, but I was expecting more heroic fantasy.) To some extent, Terry began to remind me of Laurel K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake who spends way too much time each book trying to convince herself that it’s not her fault she’s sleeping with every guy and half the women in the series. I think the author wants us to know that Terry is a nice guy, but it goes on way too long.
Each of Terry’s relationships revolves around sex in which Terry (because he is a “template”) imbues his partners with magical powers and gets some in return. This could have been a major boon to the books, but, as I mentioned above, this is a “Monster Girl Harem Fantasy” (the thing I didn’t notice when I bought the book). So let me just say that for me, the sex with monsters (tentacles, cowhide, a puppy dog looking thing) was really gross. I feel I should note that it was well written, but I wished it weren’t. I started skipping sex scenes pretty quickly, but if monsters are your thing, this book is great. (And I don’t hold the sex scenes against the book in my rating because the author was up front about it and it’s my fault I didn’t notice.)
About halfway through the novel the plot picks up. It never chugs along, but things start happening. They reach a city and problems begin to develop. We discover that Terry really is an expert in unarmed combat and it’s convincing and exciting. His girlfriends get kidnapped. He goes on a dungeon adventure and meets the best drawn character in the whole novel. The supporting cast starts to get developed and several of them are very interesting—potentially more interesting than Terry is (and I liked him).
The second half of the book saved the novel. It was a lot of fun—so much so that despite my concerns detailed above, I’ll read the sequel. So if you’ve got a strong stomach, you should give this book a try. The second half will reward you for slogging through the slow introductory material.
Great first chapter: I liked Terry from moment one. He’s tough, has honor, and was instantly sympathetic. And I continued to like him after he died and showed up in the world of Celestine. His initial circumstance, being hunted on an unknown world, was interesting. Things didn’t start to fall apart until he met Shy, the dryad.
At this point, the book started to slow to a difficult crawl. The plot, as such, grinds almost to a halt, and we begin to worry a lot about Terry’s relationships in a manner that made me think we’d slipped into the romance genre. (Nothing against the romance genre, but I was expecting more heroic fantasy.) To some extent, Terry began to remind me of Laurel K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake who spends way too much time each book trying to convince herself that it’s not her fault she’s sleeping with every guy and half the women in the series. I think the author wants us to know that Terry is a nice guy, but it goes on way too long.
Each of Terry’s relationships revolves around sex in which Terry (because he is a “template”) imbues his partners with magical powers and gets some in return. This could have been a major boon to the books, but, as I mentioned above, this is a “Monster Girl Harem Fantasy” (the thing I didn’t notice when I bought the book). So let me just say that for me, the sex with monsters (tentacles, cowhide, a puppy dog looking thing) was really gross. I feel I should note that it was well written, but I wished it weren’t. I started skipping sex scenes pretty quickly, but if monsters are your thing, this book is great. (And I don’t hold the sex scenes against the book in my rating because the author was up front about it and it’s my fault I didn’t notice.)
About halfway through the novel the plot picks up. It never chugs along, but things start happening. They reach a city and problems begin to develop. We discover that Terry really is an expert in unarmed combat and it’s convincing and exciting. His girlfriends get kidnapped. He goes on a dungeon adventure and meets the best drawn character in the whole novel. The supporting cast starts to get developed and several of them are very interesting—potentially more interesting than Terry is (and I liked him).
The second half of the book saved the novel. It was a lot of fun—so much so that despite my concerns detailed above, I’ll read the sequel. So if you’ve got a strong stomach, you should give this book a try. The second half will reward you for slogging through the slow introductory material.
September 26, 2020
I was certain that I'd actually written a review of this book, but a review shows that I didn't, so I'll fix that.
Very much enjoyed this book, and in fact the whole series. Yes, yes, transported to another world upon death, proceeds to build a harem of "monster girls" etc. (I "" that as I'm not sure how women in these books would really accept being called monsters, but I digress)
Hundreds of books follow that general template (pun noted, but unintended) but the author does a better job than most of making it make sense. Think of the MC as a genie who can grant one wish if you have sex with him. This provides a serious motivation for pretty much any woman, and in fact the "eldritch" (particularly powerful, minor and demigods essentially) females can ONLY reproduce with the seed of a Template (standard human).
The idea is pretty terrifying if you think about it, and most Templates don't survive very long, despite gaining advantages from their "bonds". At some point in the series there is a brief mention of female templates, but that is mercifully not expanded upon.
Enter our hero, Terrence "Terry" Mack, a formidable if not particularly successful MMA fighter. I won't rehash the plot, but Terry is almost uniquely capable by character and training to defend himself and deal (mostly) with the adjustment to Tartarus, a land of monsters from legend. I say "almost uniquely" as there is one other who has spent the last 2000+ years building bonds and power, and there you have your main plot. The "mostly" is the character development.
Anyway, great books, and if you like this one the others are +/- at the same level. Read it if you haven't already.
Very much enjoyed this book, and in fact the whole series. Yes, yes, transported to another world upon death, proceeds to build a harem of "monster girls" etc. (I "" that as I'm not sure how women in these books would really accept being called monsters, but I digress)
Hundreds of books follow that general template (pun noted, but unintended) but the author does a better job than most of making it make sense. Think of the MC as a genie who can grant one wish if you have sex with him. This provides a serious motivation for pretty much any woman, and in fact the "eldritch" (particularly powerful, minor and demigods essentially) females can ONLY reproduce with the seed of a Template (standard human).
The idea is pretty terrifying if you think about it, and most Templates don't survive very long, despite gaining advantages from their "bonds". At some point in the series there is a brief mention of female templates, but that is mercifully not expanded upon.
Enter our hero, Terrence "Terry" Mack, a formidable if not particularly successful MMA fighter. I won't rehash the plot, but Terry is almost uniquely capable by character and training to defend himself and deal (mostly) with the adjustment to Tartarus, a land of monsters from legend. I say "almost uniquely" as there is one other who has spent the last 2000+ years building bonds and power, and there you have your main plot. The "mostly" is the character development.
Anyway, great books, and if you like this one the others are +/- at the same level. Read it if you haven't already.
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